A new student exhibit titled ?Making Thinking? is open at the Hartnett Gallery in Wilson Commons, providing a look at some of the recent student work in the Visual and Cultural Studies program.
Containing a variety of mediums, from pencil and paper drawings to looped film footage, the exhibit displays works by Margot Bouman, Taro Nettleton, Kirsi Peltomaki, Michelle Puetz, Cyril Reade, Victor Manuel Rodriguez and T?ai Smith.
One of the most engaging works is visible from the tunnel to Wilson Commons, featuring a web of rubber bands and suction cups stuck to the walls and ceilings. ?Cat?s Cradle? is one of a group of works by Smith, whose other works include sharp, linear renderings of commonplace objects.
One such work is a traced slide drawing of Wilson Commons? wall of windows.
To the left of the gallery?s entrance, Nettleton?s piece titled ?Sternklang: Failed Slogan #2? is a bright and intriguing multimedia work.
Bearing the slogan ?Complacence is not the answer,? it features a group of toothy, smiling clouds near the top of the poster and a more sinister group of three boys in army helmets at the bottom.
The most compelling piece in the entire exhibit was also by Nettleton. Entitled ?Jan. 4, 1998 8:07-9:16 a.m.: Yoyogi Station, Tokyo,? the work features a series of photos taken of the exact same point in a subway station.
The image of a subway glass door and the people who pass behind the window within the hour is thought-provoking.
Peltomaki brings art close to home with an untitled piece involving a series of table lamps. The lamp screens are printed with images of the Hartnett Gallery being set up for an exhibit.
Overall, the exhibit is a refreshing look at up-and-coming artists, and a good way to use an on-campus space to highlight work by UR students.
The exhibit is to run through April 12.